E/CN.4/1993/26 page 46 El Salvador Information transmitted to the Government 203. In a letter of 21 August 1992 the Special Rapporteur informed the Government that he had received information on the following cases of torture: (a) Ulises Arnulfo Rivas Hernández, age 18, was arrested in San Salvador by the national police and was beaten over a period of three days. The torturers threatened to kill him and prevented him from sleeping. (b) Hugo Ernesto Sánchez Rosas, a shoemaker was arrested by the national police on 6 June 1991 on the boulevard del Ejercito, Ilopango, San Salvador. He was taken to the central barracks, led to an extremely cold room and brutally beaten. (c) Carlos Baltazar Recinos Cortez was arrested by the national guard on 11 September 1989 in Armenia, Sonsonate. He was taken to the national guard post and subjected to tortures such as electric shocks on the left nipple and the "weighing machine" (in which a container is tied to the victim's testicles and filled with sand or other heavy material, causing severe pain). The tortures repeatedly threatened to kill him. Information received from the Government in connection with Commission resolution 1992/42 204. The Special Rapporteur took note of a number of communications from the Government listing in chronological order a series of attacks on lives and property carried out by the Farabundo Martí Front for National Liberation in 1992. Greece Information transmitted to the Government and replies received thereon 205. By letter dated 21 August 1992 the Special Rapporteur communicated to the Government that he had received information concerning the practice of torture in the country. The Government replied to this letter on 30 October 1992. 206. According to that information, law enforcement officials have tortured or ill-treated individuals or groups of people in their custody. The branches responsible are said to be the Security Police, which is in charge of criminal investigations, and the regular police which carry out general policing duties. It was also reported that detainees are frequently not given the right to communicate with a lawyer until the interrogation is over and they have signed a statement. On the other hand, Greek law does not ensure the right of a person in initial police detention to communicate with relatives or friends. Whether or not a detainee is permitted to contact relatives is left to the discretion of the police officer responsible for the investigation. These legal shortcomings reportedly contribute to the practice of torture.